Voicemail is a widely used and increasingly popular means of communication. Existing voicemail systems provide many features that facilitate sending and receiving voice messages. In addition to simply leaving voicemail messages for others, users of existing voicemail systems can use telephones, wireless devices, or even personal computers from virtually any location to check for messages left by others. Despite the large number of features available with existing voicemail systems, there are needs that are not addressed by current systems.
One shortcoming of current voicemail systems is the inability to delete a voicemail message before it is heard by the recipient. This capability would be desirable during those times when a sender leaves a voicemail message for a recipient, but later decides that the voicemail message should not be delivered. For example, a sender may leave an angry voicemail message in the heat of the moment only to regret doing so later. Similarly, a sender may realize that a voicemail message was left that contained the incorrect date or time of an important meeting. Currently, there is no way to correct such a mistake by deleting, or retracting, the sent message.
Another shortcoming of existing voicemail systems is the inability to notify the sender of a voicemail message when the message has been heard by the recipient. It is often desirable for a sender to know when an important voicemail message is actually heard by the recipient. Knowing when a voicemail message has been heard could alleviate anxiety and save time that would be wasted in following up the voicemail message with additional phone calls to ensure that it had been heard.
Therefore, in light of the above, there is a need in the art for a method and system for enabling a sender of a voicemail message to delete the message before it is heard by the recipient. There is a further need in the art for a method and system for notifying the sender of a voicemail message when the message has been heard by the recipient.